Month: November 2018

Forrest Gump is a movie lover’s delight. It is one of the most entertaining and successful movies of all times, not only because it featured one of the brilliant talents of Hollywood Tom Hanks. The storyline was simple; it depicts the life of Forrest Gump, an ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. Not because some magic has happened because of a sudden stroke of luck. It was the way Forrest has lived his life which teaches us 5 crucial lessons.

The Chocolate Box

One of the iconic symbols of this movie was a chocolate box followed by a famous dialogue by Forrest himself “life is like a box of chocolates…ya never know what you’re gonna get”. It is a simple way of telling that we all have the freedom to make our own choices in life. Throughout his life Forrest has made many important choices and has taken responsibility for all the choices that he have made. He embraced life’s uncertainty and Forrest showed us that it takes gumption to take personal responsibility for all the actions in life.

Words can Cause a Scar in Life

One of the most emotional moments in the movie is when Jenny rejects Forrest’s marriage proposal because she finds him dumb. Although it hurts Forrest a lot, he accepts the rejection with dignity and displays sheer intelligence by stating “I am not a smart man but I know what love is”. Words can cause deep wounds and permanent scars. Not everyone is resolute like Forrest who shows that if you fall in love, you should have the decency of rising in love as well.

The Nike Sneakers

Among a few cherished gifts in Forrest’s life, the pair of sneakers presented by Jenny was of supreme importance. The shoes symbolize the journey of life; it shows that you never actually arrive in life, you just need to go with the flow. One can persevere, but still enjoy the various moments of life; learning to enjoy the journey is your key to happiness.

Listen to your heart

Forrest has always listened to his instincts, even when it meant trouble for him. Life is unpredictable so often when you plan a lot of things, you end up going nowhere. Your gut instincts will show you the right way. Like Lieutenant Dan will be forever grateful for Forrest’s heroic actions to save him. Even when everyone tells you to do otherwise, just listen to your heart.

Never allow you past to dictate your future

The film is all about beautiful quotes: “My mama always said you got to put the past behind you before you can move on’ is one of them. This quote lovingly points out one of the important aspects of life; you cannot allow your past to determine your future. Live in the present and believe in the art of now. Be strong and determined and do what it takes to achieve the things you truly want from life.

If you have not seen the movie yet, it is time to watch this iconic movie starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field, Myketi Williamson, Rebecca Williams.

In the past 5 years, Indian economy has seen a lot of ups and downs; from the shock of demonetization to the landmark GST implementation, Indian economy has seen it all. The year 2018 becomes all the more important for Indian stock markets as the country prepares for election in 2019. Let’s take a look at the three landmark events which have impacted Indian economy.

Demonetization of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes

In the year 2016 on November 8th, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced his decision to withdraw Rs 500 and Rs 1000 bank notes to initiate a crack down on black money. As a replacement, the government issued new Rs 500 and Rs 2000 rupee notes. In the next few weeks, RBI introduced quite a few rules associated with withdrawal limit, money exchange and deposits. Raids were conducted and the national banks were scrutinized. According to many, it was one of the boldest financial reforms and the government claimed that it would bring long-term benefits. The response of demonetization was mixed as many questioned about the effectiveness of this event.

The Passing of the GST Bill

In a unanimous decision, Rajya Sabha approved the 122nd Constitutional amendment to turn Good and Services Tax into law. Before GST, most businesses had to pay 3 different taxes – VAT, excise and service tax. With the implementation of GST, there was uniform taxation across the country. With this reform, the big enterprises attained the same footing with SMEs. The entire idea of GST was to simplify the tax complications of the entire economy. All services provided by the educational institutions both schools and colleges are exempted from GST. Along with healthcare, this is one sector which has been put within minimum or zero tax bracket.

The Frauds in the Banking Sector

The Indian banking sector has lost about Rs 18, 170 crores in forgery in the financial year 2017-18. Some of the top banks like PNB, Bank of Maharashtra, HDFC and ICICI faced a large number of frauds. This completely altered the face of the economy and called for an urgent requirement to tighten the internal financial controls. Most importantly, there was a call for better audits; the process gaps need to be addressed and emphasis was put on continuous rationalization checks and balances.

The next year is expected to be peppered by political anxiety due to various state elections in 2018 and general elections in 2019. The economy will remain jittery due to surge in global oil prices . Only time can tell how India plans to cope with these external pressures.

One should not make any mistake about it; a loved and recognizable brand is definitely one of the most valuable assets of a company. And branding is more than just a cool logo or a good advertisement. Let’s find out how the top 5 branding gurus in India have done it with some of the amazing campaigns.

Piyush Pandey: The Man Behind the Dancing Girl at the Cricket Field

The ad industry’s favourite man with a moustache Piyush Pandey has captured the heart of the nation in the 1990’s. When he first arrived, the world of advertisement was a drab one. But then satellite TV happened and more clients were interested in television advertising. Pandey has always believed in storytelling and among his many successful ventures was the Cadbury advertisement. Not many know, but the Cadbury ad with the girl on a cricket pitch was one of the first ads where he wrote the lyrics and recorded a full-fledged song with jazzman Louis Banks. And the girl Shimona who was cast could not even dance! It won ‘The Campaign of the Century’ at the Advertising Club Bombay’s Abby Awards.

R Balakrishnan and how he showed ‘Daag Acche Hain’

You have marveled at some of his cinematic creations at ‘Pa’, ‘Cheeni Kum’, ‘Padman’, but not many of us know that Balki had a successful advertisement stint at MullenLowe Lintas Group. In his own words, ‘storytelling happened, because nothing else happened’. The challenge for him was to bring out ideas day after day for different products. And his Surf Excel’s campaign ‘Daag Acche hain’ became viral in mid-2000s. Mostly featuring kids, these ads focused on the idea of helping others or making someone smile even when they are spoiling the clothes. The campaign was ‘Jaise Bhi Daag Ho, Surf Excel Hain Na’.

Prasoon Joshi and how he made everyone realize ‘Thanda Matlab Coca Cola’

When Prasoon Joshi joined McCann Ericksson, the agency was not known for his creative excellence; his first challenge was to change the perception of Coke from a song-and-dance driven communicator to a storyteller and the idea ‘Thanda Matlab Coca Cola’ was born. Consumer never look at advertising at silos, they look at it in a holistic manner. Joshi used a clever twist to two very common lingos ‘Kuch thanda lenge yaa garam?’ and the typical announcement of the hawkers in train stations ‘thanda thanda’. The idea was to position Coca Cola as a cool refreshing drink for the youth. And when you crave for something ‘thanda’ or cool, the immediate word that comes to the mind is Coca Cola. The series conceptualized by Prasoon dissolved boundaries and placed Coca Cola as ‘ a drink for everyone’.

Prahlad Kakkar: The Man who showed that branding is all about taking risks

Whenever you see a Pepsi ad, remember that there is only one man behind it. He is no one other than Prahlad Kakkar. The only propelling factor that has kept him passionate about ads is that he can never get enough of telling a story in 30 seconds in the most engaging manner. It was and still remains one of the effective ways to reach out to the masses. Who can dispute the fact that Pepsi is still ‘the right choice baby aha’. Bold, candid and often outrageous, Kakkar is all about taking risks. Be it a Kit Kat, Maggi or a Dhara, Kakkar has always come up with something new.

Sam Balsara

Sam Balsara turned 67 this year, but he still has the passion of a youngster. For him, safe advertising is a mistake. With over 30 years of experience in the advertising industry, the Founder, Chairman & the Director of the Madison World Sam Balsara has worked in one of the most influential political campaigns in India. He has worked with the Modi team and has come up with some brilliant ideas about Narendra Modi in his electoral campaign.